


Marry That Girl; Marry Her Anyway

by Fanfan_la



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Baby!Chanyeol, F/M, Fem!Sehun, Fluff, Genderbending, Romance, fem!Kris, fem!Minseok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-06-05 01:56:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6684601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanfan_la/pseuds/Fanfan_la
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sehee wants to marry Jongin. Zitao wanted to marry Kristina. How did they get their way in the end?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marry That Girl; Marry Her Anyway

**Author's Note:**

> Sehun - Sehee  
> Kris/Yifan - Kristina/Yifei  
> Minseok - Minsoon
> 
> Fluffy one shot full of sickeningly sweet love confessions and so much romance I might transform into Nicholas Sparks or John Green.  
> Inspired by one of my favourite songs, Rude by Magic!
> 
> ~
> 
> Crossposted from [AFF](http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/961290/marry-that-girl-marry-her-anyway-fluff-romance-genderbend-taoris-sekai-xiuhan).

"Baba!" An angry voice shouted from behind a tall male with black hair and greying streaks who stalked into the sitting room, just after slamming the front door into a poor brunette's face. A pale woman with bubblegum-pink hair followed her father, face pink in exertion. "What was that?!" She yelled, crossing her arms.  
  
"The answer to his damn question," the raven-haired man replied, copying his daughter's gesture.  
  
The younger woman rolled her eyes, huffing. "Look, Baba. You could have at least been more courteous about it." She mumbled under breath the next line, "Not that he needs your permission anyway."  
  
The older man shot his daughter a look, hearing her murmur. "What did you say-?"  
  
"Zitao, calm down," a husky voice of an older woman with raven hair said smoothly, arms wrapping around the raven's waist. Zitao relaxed into the embrace quickly, while the woman continued speaking. "And Sehee, honey, please be patient with your father. You know how protective he is," she said, directing her words to the younger woman.  
  
"Yes, Mama," Sehee sighed as the anger left her, plopping herself on the couch as Zitao sat on the opposite couch with his wife.  
  
"Now, I want you two to talk this out while I finish dinner, please," the older woman said sternly.  
  
"Yes, Mama."  
  
"Yes, baobei."  
  
Kristina nodded in approval, getting up. "Oh, Luhan said he'll be coming over for dinner with Minsoon and Chanyeol, so finish your talk as fast as you can, please. And, after that, Zitao, I would like it if you allow Sehee to let poor Jongin in so he can join us in eating. He's probably still outside, sitting in the cold."  
  
Zitao opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced into submission by his wife's glare. "Yes, baobei."  
  
Kristina pointed a spatula one last time in the father and daughter's direction before heading back into the kitchen to finish the food, leaving the pair in silence for a moment before Sehee spoke first.  
  
"Baba..." Sehee started, moving herself so she could sit next to her father, placing her hand into his. Zitao automatically moved his arm to wrap around her shoulders so she could lean against him, the position much like when she was still a little girl who thought boys had contagious germs. "Baba, why do you hate Jongin so much?" Zitao pursed his lips, looking down at his daughter, who had a confused look on her face. "He's been nothing but respectful when asking for your permission to marry me, but all you've done is been rude. You chucked his gift away last week, and slammed the door in his face today! Baba, I don't understand; do you not trust me to choose the right person for me?"  
  
Zitao sighed, slowly pushing his daughter to sit them up properly. "Firstly, I don't hate Jongin; I dislike him. Secondly, I am not a man to be bought when it comes to my daughter; only the best is good enough for you," Zitao said firmly. "Also, it's not that I don't trust you, Sehee. Who I don't trust is this Kim Jongin. Look, I just don't want you to face the struggles your mother and I faced when getting married so young."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sehee asked, her curiosity peaking. "I know you got married young, but you never said exactly what happened."  
  
Zitao ran his other hand through his hair as he started his story. "Well, you know how I asked your grandparents for your mother's hand in marriage at twenty-two as well..."  
  
xXx  
  
"Kristina-jie!" A man with dyed red hair shouted at a tall, petite woman with bleached blonde hair. The blonde turned to the source of the voice, a small smile gracing her lips as the man ran over, panting a little. "Sorry I'm a bit late," the man said, handing over a small bouquet of roses to the older woman. "There was traffic but I managed to hop off the taxi and run down here."  
  
"It's okay, Zitao," Kristina said, taking his hand and threading her fingers with his. "I'm glad you made it." She smiled nervously, looking at the restaurant across the road.  
  
"Are you nervous?" Zitao asked, turning the blonde's body towards his. "Don't be; I'm sure it will be fine," he reassured her, even though he was just as anxious.  
  
"What if they say no?" Kristina asked unsurely, twisting the ring around her middle finger; her engagement ring. "You know how my parents are, and you know they'll think we're too young for this."  
  
Zitao gave her a comforting look. "Regardless of what they say, I'm marrying you anyway," he said, kissing her forehead softly, and then her rosy lips painting in a light coat of lipgloss. "Now, where's my cool, confident and stubborn jiejie?"  
  
"I still don't know why you insist on calling me 'jiejie.' I'm only a few months older than you," Kristina snorted and kissed the younger male back, before tightening her hold around Zitao's hand and dragging them to the restaurant where Kristina's parents were waiting.  
  
~  
  
"Sorry, we're late, Baba, Mama," Kristina said, bowing with Zitao as they sat down across from the elder couple. "I got distracted by the art store on our way here," she lied, seeing the disapproving looks the young couple was given by her father. Next to her, she could feel Zitao stiffen under Mr Wu's famous stare inherited by his daughter.  
  
"Never mind, Yifei," Mrs Wu said, her face softening at the embarrassed look on her daughter's face. She patted her husband on the arm, telling him to stop glaring at the redheaded male seated next to his daughter. "How are you and Zitao?"  
  
Kristina smiled gratefully at her mother's silent intervention, feeling Zitao relax slightly. "Great, Ma. We're doing really well, actually." Kristina babbled on, her posture less tense as she managed to get Zitao to join the conversation, with minimal inputs from her father.  
  
After the dinner had been served and nearly finished being eaten, Kristina cleared her throat to get the attention of her parents. "Sorry to interrupt, but actually there's a reason I asked you out for dinner tonight," she started, earning a startled jolt from Zitao.  
  
"Wait, now?" He asked, dropping his knife and fork.  
  
"Yes, _now,_ " Kristina hissed, nudging the younger in the rib. She turned to her parents, who both looked at her in suspicion.  
  
Zitao coughed apprehensively, taking Kristina's hand and clasped it above the table, showing the engagement ring on the blonde's finger that she had skilfully hid from her parents whilst in their presence. "Well, you see... I was wondering if you would let me marry your daughter?"  
  
The younger couple blinked at the elder one, watching their faces for a hint of a bad or good reaction, both feeling a little edgy.  
  
After a long moment, Kristina's mother broke first, a smile stretching across her face. "Oh this is wonderful! This is really surprising but... Honey, when did this happen?" Mrs Wu asked, a grin on her face, before a realisation came across her mind. "Don't tell this is only happening because you're preg-"  
  
"Ma, no!" Kristina quickly cut her mother off, seeing the horrified look on Zitao's face and the blank expression on her father's. "No, Ma. I'm not- That's not- We want to get married because we love each other and would like to make it official. We're not thinking about kids for a few more years yet, you know," she hastily said.  
  
Mrs Wu sighed in relief. "Well thank god. I don't think I'm ready to be a grandmother yet." She turned to her husband, only to see the look on his face. "Honey?"  
  
Mr Wu gave Zitao a stony glare, making Zitao cower slightly. "No."  
  
Kristina blinked. "Baba?"  
  
"I refuse," Mr Wu said, the frown on his face deepening. "You are not good enough for my daughter."  
  
Zitao spluttered, his insulted ego overriding his fear of Kristina's father. "What do you mean, I'm not good enough?!"  
  
"Exactly what it means. You are not good enough for my daughter," Mr Wu repeated.  
  
"Mr Wu," Zitao said through gritted teeth. "I love your daughter, and I will do anything to be with her and to protect her. I want the best for her and I know I can provide for a life that is good and safe."  
  
"If you love her then you will leave her," Mr Wu said calmly, unaffected by the underlying anger in Zitao's words.  
  
Kristina and her mother both widened their eyes at Mr Wu's words. "Baba, what are you even saying?" Kristina asked incredulously. "Zitao is enough for me and will be a good husband to me. You can't just make him _leave._ "  
  
"No. That's where you are wrong, Yifei," Mr Wu replied, his glare softening as he looked at his beautiful daughter. "Your boyfriend - _not_ your fiancé - is immature and hot-headed. He hasn't got a stable job, you don't even live with each other, you are both still students, and you are too young to be tied down!" Mr Wu exhaled through his nose, briefly shutting his eyes before opening them. "You are both only twenty-two. You're too young to be thinking about marriage, or having children. Besides, you know I never approved of you dating a Huang, Yifei."  
  
"Baba!" Kristina protested. "You and Mr Huang settled that feud a while ago; can you at least let go of your dislike for Zitao's father and stop projecting that on Zitao?"  
  
"Just because we settled a feud doesn't mean I like that Huang. Nor do I like your boyfriend, either," Mr Wu said, distain in his eyes. "Huang Minguo is an exceedingly frustrating man with little regard for his own company, let alone his family. Zitao is destined to become the same."  
  
Furious at the blatant insult, Zitao slammed his hand on the table, startling the occupants of the restaurant. "Mr Wu, call me what you like, but do not insult my father or my family. My father is a good man, but misguided," Zitao said, willing himself to not let the words get to him. "And as for leaving Kristina; I will reassure you that that won't be happening anytime soon. I will ask again, and eventually I will marry her, even if you keep refusing my proposal. Goodbye, Mr and Mrs Wu." He turned to Kristina, who looked a little upset by her father's disappointment and refusal to be happy for her. "Come on, baobei," he said, bowing down lowly to Kristina's parents and guiding her out of the restaurant before the elder couple could say anything.  
  
Zitao swiftly walked them a few roads away from the restaurant in silence, before they finally slowed down to a stop outside an abandoned shop. He turned to Kristina, only for his annoyed frown to become concerned as he saw the telltale signs of tears in his fiancée's eyes. "Baobei," he said softly, brushing away the falling tears from her cheeks and pulling her into a comforting hug, which she gladly welcomed. "Don't cry...."  
  
Kristina sniffed, pressing her cheek onto Zitao's shoulder as his arms held her warmly. "I wanted Baba to be happy for me, but now he's just disappointed."  
  
"Kristina, you know that your baba is a hard man to impress. I know that from the six years we've been together. I also know that he would never be disappointed in you. He wants what's best for you and even I can see that, no matter how rude he was today," Zitao mumbled, loud enough for Kristina to hear. "All I have to do is prove to him that I am the best for you."  
  
"You know, we could just elope and get married without his permission," Kristina said, quirking her lips as the tears halted.  
  
"We could, but I know how much his approval means to you," Zitao said, kissing her forehead. "I would have eloped with you the day after I proposed, but I knew that asking your father was what you wanted."  
  
Kristina shook her head in fondness. "This why I love you; you always know and understand what I'm feeling," she said, leaning into his hold more.  
  
"I try," Zitao replied, happy that his precious fiancée was feeling less upset.  
  
"I'm sorry for what my father said," Kristina said, looking up at Zitao.  
  
"Don't worry, what he said was kind of true anyway," Zitao begrudgingly admitted. "It was rude, but it wasn't a lie. My father is trying though, and that's good enough for me."  
  
Kristina hummed in agreement, before gently pulling back. "We should go home; it's already quite late."  
  
"Alright," Zitao nodded, clasping her hand as they started walking down to the main road to grab a taxi, both thinking the same thought silently.  
  
xXx  
  
"Mama cried?" Sehee asked incredulously, sitting up properly. Never had she ever seen her mother cry, apart from that one time the whole family was there for baby Chanyeol's birth two years ago, courtesy of her older brother and his wife. Her father, on the other hand, cried way too often for her to be surprised anymore, especially during sad films.  
  
"Your mama loved me that much," Zitao joked, although he was pretty serious as well. "She wanted your Laogai-ye's approval but she wanted to marry me, and it caused her a lot of stress."  
  
"So, what did you do?" Sehee asked, enthralled by her parents' love story.  
  
"I tried again," Zitao said, shaking his head at the memories. "Every week, I dropped by your mother's house on a Saturday and preceded to ask your grandfather for your mother's hand in marriage. I tried grand gestures from various bouquets of flowers for your grandmother and pricey wine for your grandfather, a home cooked dinner, a high-class restaurant booking, and even rented a small apartment for your mother and I to move into. I tried everything I could think of, and your grandfather still said no each turn." Zitao sighed.  
  
"So then what?" Sehee questioned, tilting her head. "He must have allowed it, considering Luhan-ge was born around that time and Laogai-ye doesn't approve of babies born out of wedlock."  
  
"Well, he allowed it, but not because of my various methods to impress him," Zitao said vaguely. "Actually, I made him furious."  
  
xXx  
  
"Kristina?" Zitao said softly, stepping into the bathroom where the blonde woman had tucked herself under the sink, her hair in front of her lowered face and arms around her waist. "Baobei, what's wrong?"  
  
The couple had recently moved into the apartment that Zitao had rented, much to Kristina's parents' protests. They didn't want her to leave their home just yet. But, the blonde insisted, saying that if she wanted to prove that Zitao and her should be allowed to marry, she would have to live together with the man and show them that they were perfectly happy with each other.  
  
It was October and it had been just over a month since they had moved in together (and four months since Zitao had started asking Kristina's father about the marriage), and while they had suddenly found it new and slightly difficult, they eventually were beginning to adjust to being with each other and actually enjoyed it. They had their moments, but it made their decision to get married even more certain, now that they knew they could handle living together and were able to solve any argument they had with each other.  
  
"Yifei-jie?" Zitao tried again, crouching down to get a better look at his fiancée.  
  
Kristina slowly looked up, tears streaking her pale face. "Z-Zitao..." She said shakily, before she started crying again.  
  
Zitao gently pulled Kristina from under the sink, wrapping his arms around her curled-up body and rocking her comfortingly. "Baobei, why are you crying? Did something happen?"  
  
Kristina buried her face in Zitao's shirt, slowly uncurling her arms around her waist and pushing a plastic object into his hand. Zitao hesitantly pulled away slightly to look at the object in his hand, only to stare at it in shock. "Th-this is y-yours?" He asked, faltering.  
  
Kristina only nodded into his shirt, still crying, before looking up at her fiancé. "W-What am I supposed to d-do, Zitao?"  
  
Trying to get over the shock of it - Pregnant. _He was going to be a father._ But of course, why hadn't he noticed all the _signs;_ the sickness, the cravings. _Pregnant_ \- Zitao put the pregnancy test down and cupped Kristina's face with his hands. "This is our baby, Yifei-jie. We're going to raise he or she up the best we can. " He kissed her tenderly, brushing her hair out of her face. "I love you, baobei. We're going to make it through this, okay?"  
  
Kristina nodded, letting Zitao hug her and brush away her tears of fear as they sat on the cool tiles of their bathroom, wondering what kind of future they had in store for them now.  
  
~  
  
" _What?_ " Mr Wu said lowly, his face thunderous.   
  
"I'm asking you to let me marry Yifei because she is three months pregnant with my child," Zitao repeated, his hands placed over Kristina's barely swelling stomach as they stood in front of Kristina's parents the week after finding out about the baby.  
  
Mrs Wu had collapsed onto the sofa in shock, trying to process the information of her only child pregnant at twenty-two. Mr Wu, however, looked positively murderous. He looked like he was going to throw something, and the only thing stopping him was the presence of his wife and pregnant daughter.  
  
"You got my daughter _pregnant?!_ " Mr Wu exploded, his face flushed red in anger.  
  
"Mr Wu-" Zitao tried to speak, dropping his hands from Kristina's stomach and wrapping his arm around her waist instead.  
  
"No!" Mr Wu yelled, silencing the redhead. "You waltzed in here, swooping up my daughter into your arms, proposed to her without my permission, and now you've got her pregnant without being married first?!"  
  
"Sir, I am taking full responsibility of this," Zitao said, and to his credit, without stuttering. "I will look after Kristina, and look after our child."  
  
Mr Wu quietened down, the expression on his face dark. "...You planned this, didn't you?"  
  
"What are you even saying, baba?" Kristina asked disbelievingly.  
  
"I can assure you, Mr Wu, I did not plan this," Zitao said, trying to calm Kristina's father down and letting go of Kristina's waist to slowly approach the man.  
  
Mr Wu only shook his head and stalked over to Zitao and lifted his arm, punching the younger male in the jaw before any of the other occupants could react.  
  
Zitao landed on the floor and groaned in pain as Kristina gasped in shock, making her way over to the fallen male to help him up. Zitao shook his head, telling her not to bend down and to be careful because of the baby.  
  
"Baba! What are you doing?" Kristina cried out instead, approaching her father. She put a hand on her father's arm, making him look at her. "Please, Baba, stop this. Zitao is involved and hurting him isn't going to help."  
  
Mr Wu shook his head again and took his daughter's arm gently, dragging her further away from Zitao. "Stay away from my daughter, Huang Zitao," he said, looking at the male on the floor.  
  
"Baba!" Kristina said in irritation. "I said stop this!" She pulled away from her father's grip and walked back to Zitao, who had slowly got up. "I've had enough, Baba. If you can't accept this, then Zitao and I will get married regardless of what you say and you will never see me again."  
  
Mr Wu's hard expression dropped at his daughter's words. "Yifei, what are saying?"  
  
"I love him and I love you, Baba," Kristina said, eyes watering. "But what you're doing is making me choose between him and you, and I can't do this without him next to me. I need him, Baba. Please please _please,_ don't make me choose," she whispered, lips trembling.  
  
Mr Wu frowned at the upset expression on his daughter's face. "Yifei..."  
  
"Wu Laogai! Enough of this nonsense!" Mrs Wu suddenly said. She had snapped out of her dazed state and addressed her husband sternly. "Let Yifei marry Zitao already!"  
  
"Meili..." Mr Wu protested, looking every bit against his wife's words.  
  
Mrs Wu sniffed, walking over to her daughter and placing a hand on Kristina's stomach. "Whether we're ready or not, we're going to be grandparents. And we both know that you will refuse to have any children related to you, born out of wedlock."  
  
"Then I'll set up a marriage with someone else!" Mr Wu responded. "Zitao will never get my blessing until the day I die, and even then, I will not allow it!"  
  
"Baba no!" Kristina argued. "I will not marry anyone else but Zitao!"  
  
"Mr Wu, what exactly do you have against me?" Zitao sighed, touching his jaw gingerly, knowing that he would have a nasty bruise later.  
  
"You are taking my daughter away from me! You and your damn family are trying to everything away from me!" Mr Wu yelled, anger clear on his face.  
  
"I'm not taking anything away from you, Mr Wu!" Zitao yelled back, frustration clear on his face. "I _love her,_ Mr Wu! Think about how much you love your wife; that's how much I love Yifei and more!" Zitao deflated, the frustration leaving him. "Mr Wu, Yifei is... She's..." He struggled to put words together, unable to express his deeply sincere feelings for his fiancée. "Maybe she deserves better than me, but Kristina is mature and old enough to choose who deserves her the most, and if that is me, then I'll make sure that she doesn't regret ever choosing me."  
  
"You will ruin my daughter, Huang Zitao," Mr Wu hissed. "You'll ruin her like your father ruined your mother and nearly ruined me!"  
  
"My father may not be the best example, but I am better than him," Zitao said. "I will be better than him."  
  
Mr Wu scowled. "You can't promise that-"  
  
A sudden, pained moan cut the elder man off from finishing his words.  
  
Kristina was hunched over with tears running down her face, clutching her stomach as Mrs Wu tried to hold her daughter up. "Laogai, call the ambulance now!" The elder woman directed, not leaving any room for arguments.  
  
Mr Wu's face fell into a state of concern as he saw the blood dripping down his daughter's thighs and grabbed his phone to make the call, rushing outside to wait for the transportation.  
  
Zitao swallowed painfully as he tenderly pulled Kristina away from her mother and into his arms, placing her on the couch as they waited for the ambulance to come. Mrs Wu handed Zitao a cloth and then left to fetch a glass of water to try and keep her daughter calm, leaving the young couple in the sitting room, alone.  
  
"Zitao- Zitao- I can't- Oh god, I killed our baby- I- I can't-" Kristina panicked, her breathing erratic and shallow, her sobs not helping.  
  
Zitao took her into his arms, whispering soothing words as he used the cloth Mrs Wu had given him to wipe the blood down Kristina's bare legs. "Baobei, it's okay, you're going to be fine, the baby is going to be fine; everything's going to fine. Shush, baobei... I need you to relax for the baby, okay?" He said, rocking her comfortingly until her breathing had stabilised and the tears stopped falling. "That's it, baobei... That's it..."  
  
"I'm s-sorry, Zitao," Kristina stuttered. "I'm sorry, it's my fault we're going to lose our baby-"  
  
"We're not going to lose our baby, Yifei. I swear I won't let that happen," Zitao said, not an inch of doubt in his voice. "And it's not your fault, baobei. Nothing here is your fault; it's your father and myself that are to blame for you stressing out. I'm sorry, baobei." Kristina stayed silent but clung to Zitao like a lost child, even when her mother coaxed her into drinking the water she had returned with.  
  
The ambulance arrived quickly, whisking the young couple off to the hospital, with not even Mr Wu saying a word against Zitao going in the ambulance instead of him or his wife.  
  
xXx  
  
"What happened then?" Sehee pouted, annoyed that her father had abruptly stopped the story. "Please don't tell me I had an older sibling who never got born, and that Luhan-ge was actually the second child who was born early," she said worriedly.  
  
"I'll finish after dinner. And no, Luhan was definitely our first child," Zitao reassured his daughter, making to get up and head towards the kitchen to help his wife. "If I don't pause here, your boyfriend will freeze to death outside." Sehee's eyes widened and she nodded hastily, kissing her father's cheek as she got up, wordlessly telling him that their little argument was over.   
  
Sehee swiftly made her way over to the front door, letting her boyfriend in. "Jongin! Sorry, me and Baba were trying to settle our argument." She frowned as she saw the shiver Jongin was trying to hide. "Nini, you look frozen!" She cried out, pulling him into the house and shutting the door behind him. Wrapping her arms around his body, she rubbed Jongin's back as he leaned into his girlfriend's warmth. Then, she blew into her hands, rubbed them together and cupped his cheeks, before placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "There. All better?"  
  
Jongin smiled, leaning in for another quick kiss. "Much better." He looked down the hallway they were standing in, expecting to see Sehee's father lurking behind them. "Are you sure I'm allow in here?"  
  
"Yeah. Mama said so, and Baba can never say no to Mama, no matter how hard he tries," she replied, laughing at her father's weakness. "You're invited to dinner as well."  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jongin asked unsurely.  
  
"Baba has pretty much agreed to a truce, so you'll be fine. He might glare at you though," Sehee said, taking Jongin's jacket off and hanging it up before she led him into the dining room.  
  
The younger couple entered the room, only to see Sehee's father locking lips with his wife, much to Sehee's embarrassment and mild disgust. "Mama, Baba, you're too old to be doing that in front of your youngest and her boyfriend!" Sehee exclaimed.  
  
Kristina laughed at her daughter's indignation and Jongin's flushed face. "My house, my rules," she said, but respectfully pulled away from her husband and began to place the piled plates down in front of the six seats, before pulling out Sehee's old high chair.  
  
"Who else is coming?" Jongin whispered to his girlfriend as they helped Sehee's mother with the cutlery.  
  
"My brother, his wife, and my nephew," Sehee responded. "I haven't seen them in a while, and this is the perfect time to tell them about our planned marriage."  
  
Jongin nodded, sending Sehee a secret smile as they headed to the sitting room to wait for the last of the guests after they had finished setting up. They didn't even wait a full hour before Luhan and his family arrived, just after seven o'clock.  
  
Sehee jumped into Luhan's arms as she soon as she saw her brother, kissing his cheek enthusiastically. "Gege! I missed you!"  
  
"I missed you too, meimei," Luhan said fondly, hugging his little sister back, before hugging his own parents and greeting Jongin, while Sehee moved over to Minsoon and her nephew with an excited smile on her face.  
  
The big family moved into the dining room where dinner was served to the hungry guests and hosts. Sehun was seated in the middle with Jongin on one side and her mother on the other. Opposite them, her father was facing her mother, while Luhan was in the middle and Minsoon was at the end facing Jongin, with Chanyeol in the high chair.  
  
The meal went smoothly with pleasant chatter, until most of the occupants were finished eating.  
  
"So, Baba, you said you were going to finish your story," Sehee said, having just finished her food.  
  
"Story?" Kristina raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh, the story of how we finally got married," Zitao said.  
  
Luhan perked up in interest. "I don't know this one, Baba."  
  
Zitao smiled as Kristina shook her head fondly. "Ah well, you didn't miss much, so I guess I can continue where I left off."  
  
xXx  
  
"Is she okay? Is the baby okay?" Zitao got up and asked frantically as the doctor came out from the hospital room. Mr and Mrs Wu stayed sitting, listening to what the doctor would say.  
  
"Yes, Mr Huang. Ms Wu is fine, and both she and the baby are stable." The doctor pushed up her glasses. "However, had you arrived any later, she would have lost the baby. Our examinations showed us that she was experiencing high levels of stress at the time, causing her to nearly miscarry." The doctor looked at the Wu couple briefly, before looking back at Zitao, who nodded to everything the doctor said. "Please make sure that Ms Wu does not get stressed again, as this could cause her to lose the baby permanently. On the better side, Ms Wu can be discharged in an hour once all the check ups have been complete. You should also schedule an obstetric and gynaecological appointment soon to get a more thorough health check of Ms Wu and the baby. Now, if you'll excuse me." The doctor bowed lowly to the three adults before leaving them.  
  
Zitao sighed in relief as soon as the doctor disappeared. "She's okay... The baby's okay..." He muttered to himself.  
  
Mrs Wu slowly went over to the shocked male and walked him over to sit down on the metal benches outside Kristina's room. "Zitao, Yifei will be fine. She's a strong woman."  
  
Zitao exhaled deeply. "I know."  
  
"You... You really care for my daughter, don't you?" Mr Wu's voice suddenly rang out.  
  
Zitao turned to the older man, who looked tired and worried. "Of course I do, Mr Wu. Kristina is someone I don't think I could live without," Zitao said truthfully.  
  
"And your child? How will you raise it?"  
  
"I'll take over my father's company. It's sooner than I should be, but father isn't doing any better than before and I think I'll be able to handle it and pull the company back up again," Zitao replied. "Look, Mr Wu, I don't know exactly what my father did to your company and you, but I would _never_ try to hurt your daughter. I can't promise that I won't accidentally hurt her through words and arguments, because that's bound to happen, but I can promise I will never intentionally hurt her, physically or mentally. She means the world to me, and I will love her for the rest of my life and after that, if I could."  
  
Mr Wu stayed silent for a long time, as if finally listening and understanding Zitao's words. "...Alright."  
  
"Mr Wu?" Zitao said, confused by the man's response.  
  
"You can marry my daughter," Mr Wu clarified.  
  
"I can- I can marry Kristina?" Zitao repeated, hardly believing his ears.  
  
"Yes," Mr Wu said, the smallest of smiles on his lips as he wrapped an arm around his wife, who gave him a look of pride.  
  
"I- I- t-thank you, Mr Wu!" Zitao shouted, leaning over to hug the older man in excitement, the rush of acceptance making him grin widely.  
  
"But!" Mr Wu said, pushing Zitao back to finish his next sentence. "It needs to be done next month," he continued. "I won't have my grandchild born out of wedlock, you understand?"  
  
"And, it makes it easier for Yifei to wear a nice gown since she isn’t as big now as she will be later," Mrs Wu added.  
  
Zitao nodded, tears of happiness pricking his eyes. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how happy I am."  
  
"If you're just as in love with my daughter as I am with my wife, then I know how happy you are," Mr Wu said. "Just look after my daughter, Huang Zitao."  
  
"I will, Mr Wu. I will."  
  
xXx  
  
Both Sehee and Minsoon 'aww'ed at the end with Kristina smiling affectionately. Luhan, on the other hand, had a brief existential crisis because he could have _died_ before he was even born, only to be snapped out of it by his wife with a simple kiss.  
  
"Did Laogai-ye ever say why he hated you and Minguo-ye?" Sehun asked curiously, after Zitao had finished the story.  
  
"Yeah. He admitted that he loaned my father a lot of money to start up the business we have today, only for it to go mostly to my father's gambling addiction. Your Laogai-ye nearly went bankrupt and it nearly cost your mother her life when she got very sick around the same time," Zitao answered.  
  
"Wow," Sehee uttered in shock. She never realised how much family drama there had been before her brother's birth and her own. "This is why you don't want me to marry Nini?"  
  
Luhan choked on his drink in surprise and spluttered, "marriage?" as Zitao tried to explain himself. "I don't want you marry Jongin because you're too young; you're still in university, Sehee," he said.  
  
"You and Mama were our age when you got married," Sehee argued. "Luhan-ge got married to Minsoon-jie at twenty-four."  
  
"Your mother and I eventually had to get married, and your brother was a whole other world of stubborn when it came to Minsoon-ah. Luhan threatened to emancipate himself if we denied him," Zitao said as Minsoon blushed when Luhan kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Baba..." Sehee said, her eyes growing sad. "I promise that Jongin and I are only going to tie the knot and nothing more; no children at least until we both graduate and get stable jobs."  
  
Zitao let out a gust of air. "Why are you so insistent on getting married? You're still young, and have a few years left of being young adults. What if you don't love each other as much as you think you do?"  
  
"Did you think about that when you married Mama, Baba?" Sehee asked. She saw the 'no' on her father's lips. "I know I love Jongin a lot, Baba. Possibly much more than you and Mama love each other, which is saying something." She secretly linked her hands with Jongin's under the table, sharing a smile with the other. "Baba, Jongin and I... We have our boundaries, and we have our own dreams. But we know what we both want and we know that we want to spend the rest of our lives together. We could wait, but why should we, when we know that this is what we want?"  
  
"Being married isn't easy, Sehee," Luhan interjected softly. "You know that I love Minsoon a lot, and even then we get into fights that make us second-guess our marriage."  
  
"But you patch it up, right, Luhan-ge? And you don't ever regret marrying Minsoon-jie, right?" Sehee added. The male nodded, smiling at Minsoon, who returned it lovingly. "Well, that's what me and Nini do. I won't pretend that we don't have our own arguments that can get pretty serious, but we always fix the problem before we go to bed. We never leave it for later, because I can't stay mad at Nini for long without wanting to crawl back into his arms." Sehee paused, letting out a short, amused laugh. "Baba, we're like an old married couple already, anyway. Just without the paper requirements."  
  
Zitao gazed at his daughter; the daughter he had raised to be strong-willed like her mother, and confident in fighting for what she wanted, like he was in his younger days. She wasn't his little girl anymore; she had become a woman of independence, and a woman of love.   
  
"Sehee..." Zitao said, after a moment. "Just... Give me a few moments, okay? I want to speak to Jongin, alone." He smiled at his wife, who caught the meaning and started a conversation with Minsoon about how Chanyeol was doing, dissolving the tension in the room. Sehee suddenly looked nervous, but nodded her head and nudged Jongin.   
  
~  
  
Zitao motioned to his daughter's boyfriend to follow him, leading the latter just outside the dining room, where the two men could watch the others but be unheard.   
  
"Jongin-ah," Zitao started, looking at the younger man.  
  
"Yes sir?" Jongin replied, eyes unwavering.  
  
"How much do you love my daughter?" Zitao asked.  
  
Jongin looked at Sehee, who had immersed herself into the conversation with the others as Chanyeol was placed on her lap, a delighted look on her face. "I don't know if I can answer that," he responded.   
  
"Are you saying that you don't love my daughter clearly as much as she loves you?" Zitao pressed, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"No sir," Jongin denied. "It means that what I feel for her is indescribable; I don’t know if I can put into words how much I love her." Zitao stayed silent, letting the other continue. Jongin sighed, struggling to form a sentence. "I... She helped me through a lot of struggles in my life. She was there for me when I needed her the most, and when I didn't even need her at all. She put up with my baggage that she didn't deserve to be saddled with, got angry at me when I needed a reality check, and held me when I cried because I couldn't take it anymore. I may not deserve her because she deserves the stars for what I've put her through, and I may not be able to give that to her, but I sure as hell can try." Jongin looked over at Sehee again, a smile full of love gracing his lips as he watched her play with Chanyeol, swinging the giggling child's arms and pressing little kisses on his chubby cheeks.  
  
Zitao looked at Jongin once the other had stopped speaking. "I'll ask again. How much do you love my daughter?" He said, eyes watching Jongin's own irises.  
  
"More than words can describe," Jongin responded. "I don't know if you believe in soulmates, Mr Huang, but I believe Sehee is mine. I want to die knowing that we were tied together spiritually as well as on paper, and if that means marriage, then I want to marry her. After all, the future is full of surprises. I could die, or she could die, at any time. I just want us to be together, however many ways we can be."  
  
Zitao sighed deeply, knowing that every words coming out from the younger man's mouth was as heartfelt and truthful as his own love was for Kristina. Jongin really was very similar to the younger version of himself, and now Zitao truly understood the real reason why Laogai was so determined to keep Kristina from marrying him, because now it was he who would lose his only daughter; his sweet daughter that he raised to one day go out into the world alone, only he wasn't ready to let go.  
  
But now, maybe he was.  
  
"Just look after my daughter, Kim Jongin," Zitao said, repeating the words that Wu Laogai had once said to him.  
  
Jongin's widened in surprise. "Mr Huang?"  
  
"Just call me Zitao, from now on," the elder man said, a smile touching his lips as he saw the disbelief in Jongin's eyes. "We'll be in-laws soon, anyway."  
  
Jongin tried to speak, but only managed to stutter. "T-thank you, Zitao." He cleared his throat and tried again. "Thank you, so much. I..." He bit his lip. "Sehee will be over the moon."  
  
Zitao grinned, patting the man on the back. "She will be."  
  
~  
  
Sehee squealed, startled by the hug that Jongin had wrapped her into, having just handed Chanyeol back to her mother. "Jongin?" She said, wondering why her boyfriend was acting like a cuddle bear all of a sudden.  
  
"I need you stand up for me, yeobo," Jongin said, his hand entwining with hers.  
  
"O-okay," Sehee agreed unsurely, not quite understanding what was going on. She stood up and was led slightly away from the table, grinning as Jongin fumbled a bit.  
  
Jongin let go of Sehee's hand and stepped back, causing his girlfriend to be even more baffled by the strange actions. "Jongin what are-"   
  
She cut herself off, gasps filling the room when Jongin kneeled on one knee, pulling a box out from his pocket and opening it to reveal a simple, but beautiful, diamond ring.  
  
"I finally got your father's permission, Sehee," Jongin said, a smile on his face as he saw the glimmering tears in his girlfriend's eyes. "So, I want to ask you; will you marry me?"  
  
Sehee covered her mouth with her hand, knowing that if she spoke she would start crying instead, and so nodded her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.  
  
Jongin slowly pulled out the ring and slide it onto the middle finger of her shaking hand, before standing up and swooping her up into his arms, kissing her gently as she sobbed into the kiss, her heart fluttering wildly.  
  
Sehee was so in love, and she even didn't care.  
  
~  
  
The rest of the family congratulated the newly-engaged couple when they had parted, with Chanyeol giggling in his grandmother's arms at the sight of his favourite aunt crying and laughing.  
  
When Zitao had finally managed to approach his daughter, she threw her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek. "Baba, thank you so much for letting Jongin marry me," she said gratefully.  
  
Zitao hugged his daughter back, kissing her cheek as well. "Just promise me you'll be responsible after you get married, alright?"  
  
"Of course, Baba," Sehee nodded, grinning. Then Minsoon, interrupting the father and daughter’s embrace, called Sehee’s name. "Ah, Minsoon-jie probably wants to discuss all the wedding plans already," she said, smiling at her father before making her way over to her sister-in-law.  
  
Zitao watched his daughter walk over to his son's wife when he felt a warm hand around his waist and smiled as he saw Kristina's face.  
  
"They look so in love," Kristina commented, watching Jongin's wrap his arms around Sehee's waist as the couple spoke to Luhan and Minsoon. The older woman then saw the tears in her husband's eyes, and smiled. "Zitao, don't tell me you're crying now?"  
  
Zitao grinned, eyes wet as he gazed at his daughter from afar. "I'm just proud that our daughter has grown into a beautiful woman like you. That she has the strength and independence to fight for her love like you and I did."  
  
Kristina heard his words, but understood the meaning too, just like she always did. "She'll always be our daughter, Zitao. We'll never lose her. Just like you'll never lose me."  
  
"I know, baobei. I know." Zitao laughed, hugging his precious wife again. "I'm just really, truly happy."

**Author's Note:**

> Kristina and Tao - 49  
> Sehee and Jongin - 22  
> Minsoon and Luhan - 26  
> Chanyeol - 2
> 
> Yeye – grandfather  
> Gege/Jiejie – older brother/sister  
> Meimei – younger sister


End file.
